When it comes to delivery of quality healthcare, sometimes the reality of distance to facilities and specialists can create a barrier to actual delivery to patients. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Distance Health (CDH) found that the use of VideoTeleconferencing (VTC) eliminates barriers to that quality care.

In focus groups, UAMS discovered that in Arkansas, transportation is a major barrier for patients who are seeking specialized medical care. By enabling access to telehealth VTC in rural communities, UAMS can deliver specialized services, training, education and support to thousands of doctors and patients in rural areas – and anywhere across the globe.

On Tuesday, September 29, Michael Manley, Director of Outreach for the UAMS CDH, and Joe D’Iorio, TANDBERG Healthcare Advocate, will share the key advantages of telehealth to tertiary hospitals (those that focus on specialized care over an extended period of time), remote facilities, specialty centers, and, most importantly, to patients. They will be joined by Dr. Curtis Lowery, Dept Chair OB-GYN at UAMS CDH, who will discuss specific cost savings and advantages to the tertiary hospital – including the ability to make effective use of the specialist’s time, the ability to bring in other counselors to help the patient understand and move forward without the need for even more visits to the hospital.

You can join this interactive session from your desktop and ask questions of the experts on how best to implement a VTC strategy. Click here toRegister.

For a business investment as high profile as telepresence, seeing a solid return on investment is important.

Many companies who chose a telepresence solution based on discounted hardware typically realize hidden costs that outweigh the value. That is why it is so important to research your options and make sure you ask vendors some key questions that can help you take a deeper look at the possible choices available for telepresence solutions.

School budgets are being slashed everywhere these days, so it is nice to be a part of programs that offer alternative (and sometimes free) education opportunities. In a recent post by Wesley Fryer on Moving at the Speed of Creativity, he shared not only how he is able to work remotely with ease and convenience, but also a list of courses being featured in the TANDBERG Connections Program.

Some of Fryer’s professional development sessions on digital storytelling, blended learning, education podcasting and other topics are offered to educators who are eligible for Connections and have access to video teleconferencing (VTC) equipment.

Fryer is a content provider listed with the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC), and we think his efforts to help educators learn more about teaching with 21st Century technology are notable. Using VTC for professional development, whether in education or other environments, is a great way to cut costs, save time and manage resources, which are very limited in today’s economic environment.

Educators are teaching children who are introduced to technology – and savvy at using it – at younger and younger ages. It is imperative that today’s educators find any and all ways to use technology in the classroom, and what better way to do it than by taking advantage of cost effective, and sometimes free programs delivered over video?

Imagine that it’s mid-January and the reality of an H1N1 flu pandemic is upon us.No less than half of your team has been diagnosed with some strain of the flu, and some of those that aren’t sick are in the vulnerable populations of pregnant women, asthmatics or diabetics. The CDC recommends that during an influenza pandemic, all sick people should stay away from the workplace.

Your company has put guidelines in place guidelines for those who are sick to stay at home. But, the reality is that there will always be someone who shows up sick, potentially contaminating the entire office.

As we look ahead to this possibility, it is a good time to assess your agency’s capabilities to keep your workforce engaged and meeting critical deadlines during a pandemic. Ensuring that you have a thorough and thoughtful strategy for employees and management to telework is essential. Adding video conferencing to the mix is a consideration to ensure that managers can meet face-to-face with employees, particularly since there could be extended absences and high stress levels during an outbreak.

TANDBERG has begun scheduling sessions with agencies, schools, healthcare providers and others to share best practices on ways to add mobility to existing video communication strategies. Truly mobile video communications are here but questions remain for many:How does my agency incorporate mobility into my existing communications infrastructure? How can I easily and efficiently mass deploy endpoints? How do I ensure that the technology will be utilized?

These are obviously big questions. We can share some suggestions with you, along with some best practices and hands-on experience on what works and what doesn’t.

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